CAMPYLOBACTER HYOILEI ALDERTON ET-AL. 1995 AND CAMPYLOBACTER-COLI VERON AND CHATELAIN 1973 ARE SUBJECTIVE SYNONYMS

The taxonomic affiliation of Campylobacter hyoilei was reevaluated by examining a variety of phenotypic and genotypic criteria. Whole cell p rotein electrophoresis and a comparison of 66 phenotypic characters re vealed that reference strains of C. hyoilei were indistinguishable fro m Campylobacter coli strains, These data were confirmed by a DNA-DNA h ybridization level of 67% between the type strains of the two species. Several species-specific assays based on PCR amplification or probe h ybridization further substantiated that C, coli strains and C, hyoilei strains are indistinguishable. It is therefore concluded that C. hyoi lei and C. coli represent the same species and that the former name sh ould be regarded as a junior synonym of the latter name.